THE CASE FOR GREEN COUNTY SOFTBALL!
The Green County Lady Dragons had just finished off their Divisional rival Hart County for the second time in four days and did so in a very dominating fashion jumping on Lady Raider starter Aliyah Goble early getting six-runs in the first inning on the way to a 7-3 win that gave them a leg up on everybody else in the 18th District. The Lady Dragons have scored 145-runs in 14-games and have showed a very potent offense and a great defense led by junior pitcher Abigail Keltner that has allowed only 42 in that time, but if head coach Jeff Wright ever has to keep the team grounded from getting too high too early all he has to do is remind them of how last season ended for his team.
In 2017, these same Lady Dragons were a rumbling ball of butcher knives winning 25-games and scoring runs as fast as we speak. The 341-runs scored was due in large part to a powerful batting order in which every starter in the batting lineup had went yard at least once and many were predicting an end to 5th Region Champion Central Hardin’s two-straight season reign as the champ and then a funny thing happened on the way to the title. Green County put 19-runs up on Washington County in the first round and faced off against those Lady Bruins in the semi-finals for a chance to play in the Region Final. Despite a marvelous pitching performance by Keltner after a shaky first inning, the Lady Bruin pitching staff held Green County scoreless after a two-run homer in the first and lost 3-2.
This season, things will be different or at least they hope so.
Wright still has most of the pieces together for one last go and plenty of veteran leadership to go around. Green County lost only one starter from last year’s team (Arizona Vaughn) and can rely on the strength of senior infielders Ivy Hedgespeth and Hannah Judd to help keep things together. Both Hedgespeth and Judd were middle-schoolers on the last Lady Dragon team which beat the Lady Bruins in the 5th Region final in 2014 at Hart County high school, 3-2. It was a game in which the Lady Dragons played small ball, used their speed on the bases to create opportunities and put three runs up early on Central Hardin despite getting only one base hit. Hedgespeth played third and Judd was at short while then pitcher Mony Matney pitched a complete game victory that day. Now, the two infielders are the only seniors on this seasons team and the last link to that glory.
Like most teams that maintain a successful pipeline, Green County simply keeps rolling along regardless of who graduates or leaves. Freshman Haley Judd (Hannah’s sister) catches now following both Vaughn and Kali Bale from 2014, while junior Lexi Beard and freshman Madi Corbin have become starter in the outfield. Freshman Katlyn Milby is the first baseman and all can hit the ball over the way as has Keltner, who has followed both Matney and Majestee Hughes in the circle.
A big hurdle last season was Hart County which has suddenly emerged as a contender in the Division and took two of three games from Green County including a 3-2 18th District Championship. Tonight’s victory was a step towards exorcising some of those demons and another meeting with Central Hardin very soon could take care of another.
Still, Wright knows that they might still run into both of those teams in an even more important game in May that could decide a lot more than just seeding.
